Allow myself to reintroduce myself: I’m Roto-Wan. Long-time saves chaser, non-pricey pick payer, part-time closer ranker. You may remember from such columns as this one, last season. Grey kidnapped my dog and is forcing me to write about saves with masks or something. Contact the authorities if you’re reading this. All kidding aside, I enjoyed my hiatus and look forward to helping valued readers like you navigate the treacherous waters of saves in the MLB. I’ve dusted off Grey’s original tiers, as I like to do in the early going. It’s important to remind us of the jerks we’ve been to help us know the jerks we can become.
- Lucas Sims may well have cemented himself as the go to guy for the ninth inning over the last week. He’s rattled off three straight saves while Tejay Antone was saddled with a blown save in middle relief mop up duty. Sims has the stuff with a 13.7 k/9. He’s just had a bumpy first half until recently.
- It feels like some people have been waiting for the other shoe to fall on Alex Reyes, the closer. He took his second loss in a two-week span on Sunday giving those folks something to finally be cheery about. I don’t quite get the hate. Maybe it’s all the jilted fantasy lovers he’s left scattered over a career of empty prospect promises. Sure, it probably all blows up in his owner’s faces like it always does with him. Personally, I’m just going to enjoy the ride.
- Josh Staumont returned from his brief IL stint. He rejoins a murky closer committee. Scott Barlow was fine in his absence. Greg Holland is also still on the payroll. Plus there’s the whole arbitration stat manipulation thing.
It’s been a tough stretch for Yimi Garcia and his fantasy managers. The wheels came off a little bit with a loss and blown save last week. The Marlins have been there, done that with Anthony Bass so Yimi will have some leash. The organization does like Dylan Floro but he walks too many and doesn’t strike out enough, in my opinion. - Joakim Soria took two losses in the past week, turning back into a pumpkin, again, once more, anew. Same as it ever was. Don’t let that man near your ratios if you can avoid it.
$12 Salads
You know that restaurant your girlfriend/wife/what-have-you likes to go to that charges, like, $12 for a salad? Every time you go there, you have a thoroughly solid meal. No complaints, except you just paid $12 for a salad when you could’ve went to McDonald’s and stuffed you and your woman for ten schmools and had $2 in quarters left over to make the hotel bed vibrate. These closers are $12 salads.
Aroldis Chapman (Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga)
Craig Kimbrel (Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin)
Alex Reyes (Giovanny Gallegos)
Kenley Jansen (Blake Treinen, Victor González)
Mark Melancon (Emilio Pagán)
Diego Castillo/J.P. Feyereisen (Pete Fairbanks)
Héctor Neris (José Alvarado)
Donkeycorns
Imagine you’re following a donkey, who’s wearing a wool cap, through a desert for 1700 miles. Why are you following a donkey? Because he promises you something wonderful and you just need to trust him. Does the donkey talk? Yes. Yes, he does talk. So when you and the donkey in the wool cap arrive at his destination, he removes the wool cap to reveal a horn. The donkey is a unicorn and his gift to you for your trust is saves. These closers are Donkeycorns.
Matt Barnes (Adam Ottavino, Darwinzon Hernandez)
Edwin Díaz (Trevor May, Miguel Castro)
Will Smith (Chris Martin, A.J. Minter)
Jordan Romano (Rafael Dolis)
James Karinchak/ Emmanuel Clase
Ian Kennedy (Joely Rodríguez)
Richard Rodríguez (Kyle Crick)
Employed
These guys are the men that make the save market go round. They punch in, punch out. Have the job, no real threat to speak of, and are basically just there to collect great benny’s so they can take care of their crippled brother. Who is only really crippled because he is scared of the sun.
Lou Trivino/Jake Diekman (Yusmeiro Petit)
Josh Staumont/Scott Barlow (Greg Holland)
Yimi García (Dylan Floro, Anthony Bass)
Daniel Bard (Carlos Estévez, Carlos Estévez)
Brain Freezes
I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples, bananas and Carlos Marmol– Wait, he just gave up 12 earned runs and hit Castro in the head with a pick-off throw. Brain freeze! Make it stop! Use the following closers at your own risk.
Keynan Middleton/Rafael Montero/COVID-IL: Kendall Graveman
Gregory Soto/José Cisnero
Paul Fry/Cole Sulser (Tanner Scott)
Stefan Crichton/Joakim Soria
